RETRO DINING: UNION JACKS, ST GILES PIAZZA

Before heading to the Moda de la Mode party, Union Jacks seemed to pop out of nowhere, just off Tottenham Court Road, the perfect place to grab a quick bite. On one corner of St Giles Piazza, the restaurant is the brainchild of Jamie Oliver & Chris Bianco, & is the cutest mix of modern and retro dining.

Since I was just going to have a little bite, I thought it sensible to head straight to the Pudding section of the menu...

..which meant a tumbler of Nectar late harvest pudding wine was of course a must..

(iPhone case by Tory Burch)

Sophie opted for McBianco's crinklecut chips, served with Sarson's malt vinegar & Maldon sea salt. Yum! Paired with fish fingers, a wedge of lemon, & some liberally garlicky tartare sauce.

Sophie's wearing a fabulous collar by Fanny Anne, & I'm wearing a jacket by Topshop (more outfit details here)

(Cranberry bakewell tart, soured cream, & orange)



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{all photos by me, except of me by Sophie, edits by me}

♥

Taste of Christmas

 flavoured balsamic vinegars 

Saturday was a day of feasting & drinking: Taste of Christmas, seasonal food fair, was a fantastic way to sample delicious treats, drink mulled wine (& chocolate wine & marmalade vodka), cheeses & ports, & taste what some of the best restaurants in London have to offer... 

grilled cheese & roasted veg with soda bread (Jamie Oliver)

Heston x Waitrose curry-spiced popcorn, wines, & sweet shop

 Tunapica - tuna tartare picadillo style (Asia de Cuba)

Coconut & tamarind beef laksa with sweet potato mash (The Modern Pantry)

  Wines (Chat-en-Oeuf)

Jamie Oliver pop-up restaurant

Gary Rhodes demo / Jamie Oliver restaurant

Mexican doughnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar, filled with butterscotch sauce and spiced rum sorbet (Asia de Cuba)

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{all photos by me}

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Lasagne - With Blue Cheese & Pimento Stuffed Olives

It's such a classic meal, in all-in-one dish... Lasagne!

I went to Jamie for some guidance, & pretty much followed his cooking narrative through step by step. I love the simplicity & speed of his recipe, it was really easy to work with.

I didn't have any butternut squash to hand, so decided to experiment with adding a couple of layers of sliced hard boiled egg (as tested by a friend's mother's recipe!), & some pimento stuffed olives. For the cheese sauce, I used low-fat Greek yoghurt, adding a mixture of blue cheese & parmesan to make it really tasty.

Comfort food at its best.

{all photos by me}

♥